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By Joseph Staszewski
Brooklyn Daily
Bianca Cuevas stepped to the podium and produced more tears than words as she began to speak.
The Nazareth senior guard had just signed her National Letter Intent to play Division-I basketball at South Carolina at an assembly at the school last week, along with teammates Yazmine Belk (Virginia Commonwealth University), Sofia Roma (Wagner) and Jen Fay (Quinnipiac)
Cuevas was emotional because the day, while joyous, was also bittersweet without former Nazareth girl’s basketball coach Apache Paschall — who died of cardiac arrest in January of 2012 — there with them to celebrate the achievement of his aspirations for this special group of players.
“I knew I was going to cry,” Cuevas said. “I was thinking about Apache and how I miss him and wish he was there.”
She and her teammates know that Paschall would have been proud — but they feel their work fulfilling the promise he saw in them isn’t quite done.
As freshmen, these girls — minus Fey — were members of a team that won a state Federation Class AA title, but they don’t have one to call their own. The Lady Kingsmen lost in the Federation AA final the year of Paschall’s death, and with the school in danger of closing. Last year they struggled and lost in the Federation A semifinals.
It’s championship or bust now.
“This year there are no excuses,” Roma said. “You can’t say, ‘Their coach died. They couldn’t win. The school is closing down. They couldn’t win.’ This is just us now.”
The Nazareth squad is loaded after not losing any key players off last year’s roster. Cuevas is one of the top guards nationally in her class. She is more mature than a year ago, and has learned from being suspended for the remainder of the season last February for fighting, according to coach Ron Kelley. Shiclasia Brown, Brittany Jackson and talented sophomores Nyia Johnson and Shalix Hines join Cuevas in the backcourt.
“They got some great experience last year with Bianca having to be out,” Kelley said.
Belk, Roma and Fey compose a formidable front court. Fey is versatile and has the ability to step out and hit the three as well as score inside.
The players feel they have learned from last year’s mistakes. Past success had them taking opponents lightly and they paid for it.
“We didn’t judge other teams as honestly as we should have,” Fey said.
They know exactly the situation they find themselves in heading into this season. Nazareth and its seniors know they have one more chance to cement their legacy as winners on the court.
“After this we won’t be able to play together again,” Belk said. “This is our last go around.”